The Most Difficult Thing about Being in Public Office
Contributed by Rep. David Eastman
The most difficult part about serving in the Alaska Legislature is not the reduced privacy that is common to all public figures. It’s not the public attacks or even the frivolous lawsuits from political activists. Unfortunately, they are to be expected today. In one year alone, I received more than $250K in legal bills as a legislator. In contrast, my legislative salary that year was $50K.
It is not the disappointment of seeing coworkers misplace their moral compass and end up in the mire of the Juneau swamp (though that can be jarring at times). It is not even the expectations of your fellow countrymen that you are likely just as corrupt as the other politicians they’ve met.
For me personally, the most difficult aspect of being a legislator, day in and day out, is the challenge of honestly describing the rot and on-going deterioration of our political institutions in a way that can be believed by the average person. Most people have a picture in their mind of what our political institutions are like, and for those new to politics that picture is often much closer to the politics of the 1950’s than the politics we are witnessing today: 70 years later.
The form of the old system remains, but it has been hollowed out, like an old log after a colony of carpenter ants have taken up residence. Today’s political battles aren’t just between the special interests working to hollow out the system further and those fighting to stop them. They are also between those willing to fully acknowledge the deterioration of our political institutions, and those whose political success depends on minimizing the full extent of the rot.
This year, the legislature was in session continuously for one hundred twenty-two days. Current state law requires legislators to adjourn after ninety days. Legislators voted to ignore that law. The Constitution likewise limits legislative sessions to 120 days. Legislators ignored it.
The Constitution prohibits legislators from passing a single bill that covers more than one subject. This year, legislators voted to pass Senate Bill 189, a bill that tackles issues as diverse as marijuana policy and childcare. State law prohibits legislators from passing bills that extend the longevity of multiple state boards and commissions. This year, legislators voted to pass such a bill anyway and the governor signed it. It wasn’t legal, but it was “good politics.”
The Constitution explicitly requires legislators to meet when the governor vetoes legislation during session. This year, most of my Republican colleagues initially voted against meeting because it wasn’t considered “good politics” at the time. Last year, it was most of my Democrat colleagues who voted against meeting, and for the same reason.
Every election, the political establishment peddles some version of the story “if we can just elect one or two more legislators” we can save the PFD, fix education, etc. Many a good person has been convinced to cast a vote, or give a dollar, or even to run for office, in response to this. Yet, it is a fable: at best a useful fiction.
The more difficult challenge is to honestly acknowledge that we are on the back foot today, and that the contribution of every voter will be desperately needed if we are to successfully defend the rights and freedoms of Alaskans against the next wave of assaults that is surely coming.
Thirty-nine legislators voted to cut the PFD this year. Once it was cut, legislators declared a “budget surplus” and went on a spending spree. Afterwards, thirty-nine legislators voted to pass a budget that cut the PFD by 53.7%, an even greater cut than the one that took place before legislators announced the budget surplus. How does that even pass the smell test?
Many of the legislators who voted to cut most of this year’s dividend, and who voted against adjourning on Day 90, and who voted for SB189, are currently running for re-election. If you listen to the messaging coming out of Juneau, this was all no big deal; nothing to see here. But it is a big deal, and now you know a little bit more about the one thing the political establishment hopes that you will overlook; how legislators actually voted when it mattered.
But don’t just take my word for it, how every legislator voted is available on the legislature’s official website: https://akleg.gov/house.php
Rep. David Eastman serves in the Alaska House of Representatives representing the Mat-Su. Visit davideastman.org for more information.